#red dwarf observation dome

[red-wop]

Man, Howard Goodall really put his everything into making the Observation Dome background music the most beautiful, romantic, wistful sounding piece of music ever didn't he

[wizard-beast]

i built the dwarf!!! i chose to build her as my final project for this art college sunmer program i went to, and it was so much fun!!

wip pics and image ids under the cut!

[image id: two sets of several images, the first set being photographs of various angles depicting a homemade replica of the spaceship Red Dwarf, from the TV show Red Dwarf. The ship is painted red, and made out of different pieces of scrap material, such as nuts, hinges, metal bottlecaps, and other small pieces of wood, metal, and plastic. The ship also features modelled asteroids fixed to the underside, made of air dry clay and then painted to look like rocks.

The second set of images depicts the making process of the spaceship. The first image being the base ship, made out of cardboard, straws, hot glue, and paper mâche, it sits on a messy worktable. The second image shows the same base spray-painted black, with a few metal parts attached, it sits on the same worktable as the first image. In the Third image, the ship sits in a pale persons lap, in a different room than the first two, the lighting is dimmer and there is more scrap material glued on. The fourth and fifth images show the ship with all of the parts attached, yet unpainted. It sits, propped up on a bottle of Diet Coke, where both sides of the ship are visible, and you can see all of the parts that make up the outer layer of the ship.

end id.]

[bellacatt-art]

☆ "But you know what? I'd trade it all in to have loved, and to have been loved...." ☆

Hello hiii, I absolutely adore the Observation Dome from S2, its so pretty, and I really wanted to draw it!! And I also wanted to draw something Rimster related so I thought I'd do them both at once! :D

[celery505]

Why does the music cue for the observation dome sound like the music at the end of a dating sim when you get the person you’re trying to date?

[celery505]

Was between thanks for the memory and marooned for me. But I voted thanks for the memory.

[janamelie]

New Red Dwarf Challenge

Day 17: Five Favourite BBC Era Episodes

From 5 to 1.

Polymorph

I guess not the first Red Dwarf “monster of the week” episode as you can argue “Confidence & Paranoia” and “Queeg” may technically fall into that category, but certainly the first with a non-human looking menace.

And what a great menace the Polymorph is.  It’s gross-looking, funny and scary all at once and what it does to our Boyz is hilarious albeit also dangerous.  The sequence where they’ve all lost an emotion and are trying to figure out how to tackle the Polymorph never fails to make me snort with laughter. See above as Kryten minus his guilt turns into a sociopath.

If I was going to try to get somebody into Red Dwarf, this is one of the episodes I’d show them as it really showcases a lot of the show’s strengths.

The Last Day

A heartwarming “found family” episode which completes Kryten’s integration into the crew.  Yes, he’s been present since “Backwards”, but this is where he really starts to relax a bit, helped of course by Lister’s determination to throw him a good party first if he’s about to snuff it.

This is such a sweet-natured episode, unusually so for the show.  Cat and Rimmer actively and willingly participate in party preparation and present-giving and we know who was the catalyst for them doing so - yes, a certain Scouser. All of Lister’s crewmates have been changed for the better by him.  I may be a bit biased as a Lister fan, but I don’t think it’s really arguable in this particular episode, at least.

I love the gentle music as our Boyz wake up to a stonking hangover and Kryten utters the memorable line: “Is it me or is that cockroach shuffling too loudly?”  Despite this, he realises his taste of freedom wasn’t enough and so the crew struggle through their hangovers and manage to defeat Hudzen 10.  Don’t mess with the Red Dwarf Posse.

Dimension Jump

I just adore this episode.  I love AU episodes and this is one of the very best.  The opening sequence with everyone worshipping Ace is so well done and then there is the delicious anticipation of him meeting our crew and the humour once he does so.

OK, I admit it.  The sizzling sexual tension between Lister and Ace and Rimmer’s seething jealousy is my favourite part of this episode for slashy reasons.  But this is just an excellent episode all round, from Ace’s “Top Gun” homage theme to his mutual flirting with Mellie to our Holly just fainting as soon as she talks to him.  And Bongo’s proposition shouldn’t be overlooked either.

This episode is of course fascinating for what it tells us about Rimmer and the questions it brings up.  Fortunately we have further canon and fic for that.

Thanks for The Memory

This lovely episode was apparently not a particular favourite with fans during the 90s once the show became faster paced and more focussed on the four Boyz with fewer one-to-one scenes between Rimmer and Lister.  But it’s one of those which really rewards multiple viewings, being both funny and touching.

The sandwich scene may be the most giffed RD scene on Tumblr and it’s easy to see why.  The laughs are still there with Chris’s amazing expressions but it turns sad so quickly and Craig’s subtle acting as Lister realises just how lonely Rimmer is is great.

You can argue about the ethics of what Lister does with his memories of Lise but there is no denying that his intentions are pure.  He genuinely tries to do a good thing for Rimmer and although it goes wrong, at least we get Observation Dome angst soundtracked by Howard Goodall’s wonderful music.  The aching loneliness of our crew has rarely been better conveyed than in this episode.

Back To Reality

By far the darkest episode on my list, but deliciously so.  The way the episode creates a totally convincing, compelling alternate world in its short running time is outstanding.

It’s so well structured, not immediately throwing the crew into the true horror of the world they’re supposed to believe they really live in.  We get a funny scene first with Timothy Spall’s Andy, who is the most down to earth albeit annoying character imaginable.  But what we learn from him is the first blow to the psyche of both our characters and the audience.  Followed by the gradual revelation of who our characters “really” are in the Recuperation Lounge which is hilarious but the unsettling undercurrent is building.

As soon they leave, with no more than a brief pause to take in the fascist posters everywhere, they’re plunged into genuine drama as Lenny Von Dohlen puts in one of the best ever one-off performances in Red Dwarf as a ruthless fascist cop who is frightened of only one thing - the Voter Colonel.  For Lister, to be a person whom even other murderers are terrified of is indeed his ultimate nightmare.  

Red Dwarf’s comedic nature reasserts itself with the car chase scene, but the danger isn’t over until Hattie’s Holly manages to get them out of the hallucination and the episode ends on a very relieved and sombre note, having reminded us exactly why we love these characters.

(BTR gifs made by myself using this. https://smegadrive.ganymede.tv/)

[miniherodesktales]

Just been rewatching Siliconia - second time I've seen it - was pleasantly surprised to hear the Observation Dome theme from Series 2 playing in the background.

It's a beautiful piece of music. It's the piece that plays when Rimmer is grieving his father. It's also in Thanks For The Memory when Rimmer gains Lister's memory of Lise Yates.

It's my favourite music from Red Dwarf, it's very gentle, but bittersweet. Hopeful but sad.

[all-alone--more-or-less]

Smegtober Day 1: Earth Promts made by @a-literal-toaster-wtf

Word count: 795

A/N: Little late for the party but if I focus hard enough I might manage to get at least some stuff out lmao Based on the audio book(s)

Lister rummaged through one of the many hills of trash that surrounded his house. After a few minutes he pulled out a green, fully intact bottle.

Quietly he walked over to another mountain, this one was facing the sunset, he had sat on top of it to observe the sun set almost daily now. Before sitting down on one of the couches the Roaches had gathered for him, he stacked the bottle atop a growing mountain of bottles.

All of them were differently colored, the sunlight shimmered through them and dipped the valley in a beautiful mosaic of refracted light.

He sighed as he looked down onto the empty field that he had cleared, there was a lot of work to do still but he was making progress.

With a longing stare he looked at the bottles, each represented a day, it was his best bet of remembering how long he had been on Earth now.

Trying to not get stuck in thoughts again he sat down on the couch and leaned back, watching the lowering sun graze the mountains and valleys that stretched before him.

A roach skittered next to him, he recognized it as Jerard, it sat down next to him with a quiet chirp. He absentmindedly pet the gigantic animal as his eyes focused on the bottle pile.

They had promised to be back as fast as they could, and he trusted they would, but the pile counted well over three months now, nearing four.

He sighed and wiped his face with his sleeve. What if they had decided they were better off without him? In all fairness he was the most useless member of the team, never doing much of anything besides getting drunk and complaining.

Absentmindedly his leg started to bounce, an old nervous habit he had picked up from Rimmer.

It was crazy and he hated the thought but he missed Rimmer, missed the bickering and the insults. He missed sleeping in the same room as him, missed the crew. He wished he had been a bit better of a friend than he clearly was. Now doubt of them returning and guilt filled the quiet moments.

He vowed again that he would be productive and helpful if- *when* they came to pick him up. But until then he had to make do with the roaches and trash, that was all he had.

Quietly he  snickered, what a fitting place to end up in wasn’t it? With no friends and surrounded by nothing but roaches and trash. His wish of returning to earth finally fulfilled millions of years later than he had hoped for.

The entire reason why he even joined the Dwarf was to get where he was now, and now he wished he could walk through the endless corridors of the Dwarf again, wished he could sit in the observation dome and quietly ponder what Earth was like.

He missed the blissful ignorance, back on Red Dwarf he could hope, no matter how stupid the hope truly was, that Earth was the green and blue planet he had left behind. That it still had the horses and sheep he hoped to own, even when Kryten told him that that was beyond unrealistic he could dream of weird mutated horses, evolved sheep, and sunsets on the top of Fijis mountains.

Back then he hadn't cared if earth was engulfed by water, if he eventually got to go home just to come back to England being a few meters under water, Fiji no longer on the map and half of Europe engulfed by the ocean.

But now he knew. He knew Earth was used as a garbage dump, now he knew that Earth was nothing but endless seas of trash. He wondered if there were still oceans of water or if they had evaporated under the sun as well.

Maybe one day he could venture out with the roaches to see if they had turned into skeleton ridden valleys or if they still shimmered and wavered under the sky like unmoving monoliths.

He sighed, again saddened by how humanity had deserted their home planet. Of course people had been saying that for all his life, that humanity would destroy earth and then flee, but he had never considered how gut wrenching it was until now.

With a quiet grunt he pulled his legs to his torso and stared up at the sky. He had noticed how beautiful the skies were now that smog and light pollution were concepts of the past. He understood why old civilisations worshipped the night sky.

But he could never appreciate the beauty of these galaxies, his brain always telling him that distantly he could see a red ship weave between the endless stars, without him.

[spotforme]

Did you know you just got me into red dwarf! (I've watched three episodes but I will be watching them all)

Thank you for having good taste! <3

i'm so excited for you!!!! and thank you

seriously i'm so glad you decided to give it a try and have liked it so far. it's really the best having people to share interests with :) and i say this all the time but i bet you're gonna love the observation dome

[spacenutspod]

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 3 min read Sols 4368-4369: The Colors of Fall – and Mars This image shows all the textures — no color in ChemCam remote-imager images, though — that the Martian terrain has to offer. This image was taken by Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) aboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Nov. 18, 2024 — sol 4367, or Martian day 4,367 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 02:55:09 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL Earth planning date: Monday, Nov. 18, 2024 I am in the U.K., where we are approaching the time when trees are just branches and twigs. One tree that still has its full foliage is my little quince tree in my front garden. Its leaves have turned reddish-brown with a hint of orange, fairly dark by now, and when I passed it this afternoon on my way to my Mars operations shift, I thought that these leaves have exactly the colors of Mars! And sure enough, today’s workspace is full of bedrock blocks in the beautiful reddish-brown that we love from Mars. But like that tree, it’s not just one color, but many different versions and patterns, all of many reddish-brown and yellowish-brown colors. The tree theme continues into the naming of our targets today, with ChemCam observing the target “Big Oak Flat,” which is a flat piece of bedrock with a slightly more gray hue to it. “Calaveras,” in contrast, looks a lot more like my little tree, as it is more reddish and less gray. It’s also a bedrock target, and APXS and MAHLI are observing this target, too. APXS has another bedrock target, called “Murphys” on one of the many bedrock pieces around. MAHLI is of course documenting Murphys, too. Let’s just hope that this target name doesn’t get any additions to it but instead returns perfect data from Mars! ChemCam is taking several long-distance remote micro-imager images — one on the Gediz Vallis Ridge, and one on target “Mono Lake,” which is also looking at the many, many different textures and stones in our surroundings. The more rocks, the more excited a team of geologists gets! So, we are surely using every opportunity to take images here! Talking about images… Mastcam is taking documentation images on the Big Oak Flat and Calaveras targets, and a target simply called “trough.” In addition, there are mosaics on “Basket Dome” and “Chilkoot,” amounting to quite a few images of this diverse and interesting terrain! More images will be taken by the navigation cameras for the next drive — and also our Hazcam. We rarely talk about the Hazcams, but they are vital to our mission! They look out from just under the rover belly, forward and backward, and have the important task to keep our rover safe. The forward-looking one is also great for planning purposes, to know where the arm can reach with APXS, MAHLI, and the drill. To me, it’s also one of the most striking perspectives, and shows the grandeur of the landscape so well. If you want to see what I am talking about, have a look at “A Day on Mars” from January of this year. Of course, we have atmospheric measurements in the plan, too. The REMS sensor is measuring temperature and wind throughout the plan, and Curiosity will be taking observations to search for dust devils, and look at the opacity of the atmosphere. Add DAN to the plan, and it is once again a busy day for Curiosity on the beautifully red and brown Mars. And — hot off the press — all about another color on Mars: yellowish-white! Written by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University Share Details Last Updated Nov 20, 2024 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 3 min read Sols 4366–4367: One of Those Days on Mars (Sulfate-Bearing Unit to the West of Upper Gediz Vallis) Article 2 days ago 2 min read Sols 4362-4363: Plates and Polygons Article 1 week ago 3 min read Peculiar Pale Pebbles During its recent exploration of the crater rim, Perseverance diverted to explore a strange, scattered… Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

[ao3feed-reddwarf]

Moongazing

by Moonliteshdow

Set just after The Promised Land. Everyone is celebrating but Lister feels a bit melancholy and heads up to the Observation Dome. It's not long before he has company...

Words: 893, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Red Dwarf (UK TV)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Arnold Rimmer, Dave Lister, The Cat (Red Dwarf)

Relationships: Dave Lister/Arnold Rimmer, Dave Lister & Arnold Rimmer

Additional Tags: Hard-Light Arnold Rimmer, Caring Lister

Moonliteshdow from AO3 works tagged 'Red Dwarf (UK TV)' https://ift.tt/kRMdAPN via IFTTT

[concussed-to-pieces]

To Tell You The Truth Part Four

Fandom: Prospect [2018]

Pairing: Eventual Ezra/Prospector!Reader

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: I promise I'm not doing this on purpose...I'll see you guys on Monday. Enjoy!

Tag List: @huliabitch @renegademustelid @wrestlingfae @zombiexbody @sporadic-fics @rzrcrst @lackofhonor @the-feckless-wonder @arrowswithwifi

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains vivid depictions of gore and minor allusions to previous abuse. Stay safe!]

"Well, there's our ride." Ezra observed, sounding relieved. You didn't blame him. The two of you had pushed yourselves hard to get to the camp with enough time to spare for harvesting after your short rest. Night had slowly fallen as you moved, so it had been a blessing to see the large fire from the mercenaries' camp.

"Let's go then, c'mon." You murmured, striding forward. A hand on your sleeve stopped you in your tracks, and you turned back to give him a look of confusion.

His eyes had gone wide, deep brown reflecting the greenish-yellow gleam of the fire. "Damon spoke of Karolclan mercs. He conveniently forgot to mention that they were the Karolclan mercs. The only ones that fucking matter." Ezra hissed, "That's fuckin' Mikken's crew, gentle soul, or I will eat my haul."

You hadn't actually been concerned about the mercenaries until Ezra resorted to dropping 'fucking' every other word. He hadn't cursed this much when you had taken a chunk out of his arm.

"Martyr's malfeasance, we are in the shit." He continued, sounding panicky. "See that woman? Inumon, the fuckin' Krebine defector. The fabled blood-soaked bloodhound from that whole mess with the Second Illumination."

Your stomach knotted nervously despite not even knowing who (or what) the Second Illumination was. "I...maybe I should go in alone?" You suggested. Ezra fixed you with an incredulous look, those heavy brows drawn tight enough to carve furrows in his forehead. "Look, I'm...I'm not threatening, right? If I go in first..."

"You wander into that camp of Fringeling mercs, raw at the end of tour--" He stopped, shaking his head grimly. "Gentle soul, the outcome of that particular negotiation technique has less and less favor as the seconds pass."

You swallowed hard. "They might be more willing to accept our terms if I...if I offer them something first. Damon said I-" You closed your eyes, not wanting to repeat what Damon had said about you and your potential bodily bargaining capabilities. "M-Maybe I could-"

"Damon is dead for a reason, gentle soul. And if that man did anythin' to you regarding something like that, he deserved every slug Number Two and myself placed in his churlish, thieving junkie guts." Ezra snarled. "Did he-?"

"I told you not to ask." You reminded him in a whisper. His fury made you feel warmer even as your stomach dropped out.

"That...you did." He allowed reluctantly. "I apologize. Intrigue will always be the death of my good sense." He pulled himself up a bit, squaring his shoulders. "All the same, no. I am not throwin' you into that lions den alone. You are no Daniel, gentle soul. Stay clear and close and I'll talk us through." Ezra bumped his helmet against your own, his tone serious. "When it comes time to dig, I'll need you sharp. I've never harvested one-handed before. I'm gonna' need some help. But we'll keep it creamy, and it'll all be fine." He assured you with a wan smile.

You did your best to smile back, but you were certain it looked more like a wince. Ezra gripped your arm tight, almost like a hug. 

"Alright, gentle soul. Deep breaths."

…

The fabled Mikken's reception was...less than warm. As Ezra haggled carefully with him, all easy smiles, bowing and scraping, you watched the man's second in command slink closer in the light of the fire. Something about her eyes set off warning bells in your head; now this was a Krebine. She had the lethal grace, the jammer belt, and on her flank hung a red canvas square with a faded, complex insignia. 

Inumon, Ezra had said. It sounded almost like inhuman.

You weren't particularly surprised when she lunged at you, but that didn't stop you from being scared stiff. Your back hit the ground hard and you felt her body press down on you, the square angles of her helmet skidding against the round dome of your own. Her eyes flicked back and forth, like she was waiting for you to start struggling. Prey, that was all you were to her.

"Inumon here has been lookin' for a way out since touchdown." Mikken remarked calmly to Ezra. "I'd reckon you'd best jump to it if you're tryin' to keep your pay...and your partner."

Inumon was muttering under her breath in Vayok, those eyes watching you as she palmed roughly over the front of your helmet. You didn't make a sound. You weren't sure if you even could have at that point, her weight concentrated on your abdomen all but cutting off your ability to breathe. 

Ezra crouched next to your head, his knee rubbing your shoulder as he fixed Inumon with a fierce gaze through his helmet. "I am the gatekeeper to more wealth than any of us have ever seen." Gone was his easy smile, his words as strategically aimed as thrower shots. "And you've been wastin' in the Green for far too long to let that slip away."

Inumon slid Ezra's confiscated pistol beneath your chin. You cringed, giving Ezra a panicky look.

The prospector seemed unaffected by Inumon's threat, the knee pointedly digging into your shoulder the only indicator that he took note of your fright. "I'm afraid I am the only means to the successful end of your venture." He tipped his eyes up to Mikken. "And I say the terms have changed." Ezra rose to his full height once more, his voice firm. "Thirteen points, plus a ride for me and my partner on your handsome craft, or no deal. Find a way." 

Inumon ground her helmet down against your own and you could feel the thrower pressing up into your gorget gasket. The chiclet of Brism popped free from its tape, landing somewhere behind your head inside your helmet. The side of Ezra's boot rested against your arm and you closed your eyes, attempting to center yourself with the steady pressure. 

"Now, I do not intend to breach my station," Spoke up one of the other mercenaries, his voice humming mechanically. "But perhaps the secondary hydrogen four offers a viable solution to this stalemate." He hesitated, then continued, "one that will keep us all in pay."

"My boy, this is a winner." Ezra agreed, his genial smile back. "I think a little backup thrust is an easy drop under the circumstances. What do you say, boss?"

Mikken waited for what felt like an eternity before growling out, "Fine."

Inumon jerked away from you at the sound of his agreement, spitting more Vayok. It was clear that she was dissatisfied with this arrangement, and she made that lack of satisfaction abundantly clear when she grabbed hold of Ezra's filter and switched it off.

The man began to choke almost immediately, coughing and struggling for breath while Inumon just stared at him impassively through her helmet. You inched your hand towards her ankle. If you pulled, she would at the very least be knocked off balance; she would probably let go of Ezra's filter and then-

Mikken suddenly spoke up in Vayok, barking some sort of order, and Inumon reluctantly released the switch. She hissed something at Ezra that made his back go rigid even as he gulped air, the prospector glaring at her venomously before he seemed to be able to stop himself. 

"Well…" he drawled, his tone dripping with forced joviality as he reached down to help you up from the ground, "gentlemen...and women, let's get rich." Acting like he was assisting you in dusting yourself off, he pressed the side of his helmet to yours and muttered, "too close, sorry about that. Glad you would have helped though." Obviously he had noticed your intent to go after her ankle.

You gripped his good arm tightly, nodding as you kneaded at the exosuit sleeve. You didn't trust your voice, certain that if you opened your mouth you would start crying and wouldn't be able to stop. 

Ezra patted the back of your helmet and then pulled away. "Ready to dig?" He asked brightly.

...

It was indeed the Queen's Lair, or as close to it as reality could get. Rows upon rows of small mounds dotted the shallow crater, each one promising aurelac pearls that dwarfed whatever you had harvested previously. 

Ezra was as giddy as a child, his exhaustion forgotten as he scampered around the dig site examining everything while you prepared the diffuser and the fazer squeeze bottle. 

One of the hummocks had been pierced, the blood spattered around it serving as a clear indicator of the excavationary skill Mikken's crew possessed. "Somebody already gave her a go?" Ezra queried curiously, tugging free the knife that was still embedded in the hummock.

"We found it diggin' for tie-downs." Mikken tilted his head back towards the fire, indicating the mercenary in the red exosuit. The empty left sleeve of his suit had been knotted and pinned at the shoulder. "Our boy dove in fist first, and it ate his arm." 

Ezra shook his head, ruefully drawling, "That's the price of a dry breach." He seemed a touch too self-assured when he continued, "but my chem will calm the brine." He began using the knife to test the area, carefully tapping the hilt against the hummocks. 

It was important to know how filled with brine each mound was, as the prudent prospector would begin with the least full and work their way up, nullifying and draining the brine as they went to reduce the potential risk. Of course, you had never seen a cluster of this particular magnitude. You were uncertain if there was even a way to safely 'runoff' the no-doubt copious amounts of brine, but you were game to try if Ezra was.

"Hello, sweetheart." Ezra crooned as a hollow noise rang out from beneath the knife's questing grip. The older man flipped the knife around and stabbed into the mounded earth, slicing it open gingerly. He was solely using his left hand, the right hanging limp at his side.

You pressed the square container of diffuser into his hand when he gestured you over, and you could feel him shaking. Whether from excitement or weariness, you couldn't say. 

"You got the cocktail mixed, gentle soul?" He asked idly as steam issued from the hole, the nuller working its magic to render the gear-dissolving brine impotent. 

"Of course." You replied, all business. This was what you knew how to do. "Are we pulling them all and then de-blistering and fazing, or are we fazing as we go?"

Ezra hummed contemplatively, working his jaw. "I'd say a bit of both." He murmured. "Lest our gracious hosts grow impatient with us." He cocked his head surreptitiously over at Mikken, who was looking back towards the campfire. "We'll pull a few, faze, rinse and repeat." 

"How's your hand?" You asked softly.

"It is...not suited for delicate work." Ezra grimaced. "I can feel it again and it is not festerin', mind you, but I know better than to try and use it for anythin' important."

You nodded. "I'll handle the skinning, then."

The two of you worked nearly in silence for a time. You constantly checked your watch, the red indicators at the top blinking to warn you that the second cycle had long since shifted into the third. 

Ezra was slow, almost too slow. The minutes between pulls seemed to be stretching longer and longer as he struggled along left-handed to extract the aurelac sacks, and you noticed Mikken beginning to get antsy. 

"Want to swap?" You offered, climbing down into the crater. "Skin a few, rest." 

"No, n-no no, I'm fine." Ezra waved you off with that easy grin, but his eyes were grave. "I would not be of any particular use for the de-blisterin', my hands...I'm not up to snuff, gentle soul." He sighed. "This is the more prudent option. I am simply weary due to our forced march, you can sympathize."

"Is there a problem?" Mikken asked, his thrower rifle whining as he primed it.

"We're just discussing a switch, maybe taking a short break." You squeaked before Ezra could pipe up. 

Mikken shook his head. "No breaks. You work through to the end or you don't get on the rock jumper. Simple as that." The thrower remained primed, aimed lazily to the side of you.

"Indeed." Ezra replied dryly. "We'll get back to it then." His hand caught your own and he squeezed it, whispering, "I will endure, gentle soul. I have no choice. Salvation beckons."

The hours dragged by, that mercenary with the voice modulator (who apparently went by Jack) wandering over every now and then to collect the extracted pearls and package them up. Your neck and back ached, fingers cramping from how tightly you had to hold the scalpel. But if you wavered you would puncture the blisters of carrom acid that protected the aurelac, ruining the pearls beyond any hope of salvage.

Ezra's breathing was dissolving into hacking coughs yet again. His battered filter had clearly given out. You rose from your spot beside the crater and nearly toppled in, pins and needles flooding your body. 

Mikken leveled the thrower at you and you raised your hands. "I-I'm just going to tether to him! If he can't breathe, he can't harvest." You reasoned frantically, tapping your tether tube and then gesturing down at the wheezing man. "We have enough length that he can still work, I promise. I can always move closer."

Mikken muttered something under his breath, but lowered the gun. 

You stumbled into the pit, moving as fast as your half-sleeping limbs would allow. Ezra didn't even seem to notice your presence until the tube had been hooked up for several seconds, the man starting violently and stepping back from you. "Martyr's malfeasance gentle soul, don't creep up on a man unawares." He said blearily. "Liable to get perforated."

You scooped the large knife off the ground where he had dropped it and gave him a gentle nudge towards the lip of the crater. "I know you don't trust yourself to faze right now, but I'm sure you can at least skin a few. Hop out. I'll extract."

"Gentle soul, I-" Ezra shook his head, extending his left hand to you. His whole arm was trembling and jerking wildly, muscles in spasm from the prolonged toil. "I can assure you that is a poor choice." He said through gritted teeth. 

"You need to rest." You insisted.

"No, I need to get the fuck off this pestilence-ridden Nessus before I lose the last tenuous fragments of my sanity!" He snapped, raising his voice in frustration. You cringed at his volume and Ezra swore again, closing his eyes tightly and taking several deep breaths. "I-I apologize, gentle soul, it's not you that I'm-"

"Hey." Mikken said sharply. "You're here to dig, not have a damn conversation."

"And how much longer do you expect us to do so, praytell?" Ezra queried angrily, attempting to pull himself up out of the shallow crater. "The shadows are growin' heavy. We were hardly a dose away from the freighter pass when we arrived, and it has been--" 

Mikken interrupted him with a shrug. "Don't take more than five minutes to prime the jumper for takeoff. And Jack's been loadin' as you harvest, floater." He spat the term like a curse.

You could pinpoint the exact moment where Ezra entirely lost his composure, the prospector seizing your scalpel and wordlessly sawing it into Mikken's heel. The mercenary toppled into the pit, his thrower going off as he did. Hideously silent aside from his struggling breathing, Ezra caught the back of the man's neck and forced his entire head into one of the many open wounds on the Queen. The brine hissed and sizzled as Mikken thrashed, then everything was still.

You stared at Ezra, who was staring down at the still-twitching body at his feet. "The...the shot will bring the rest of 'em in." He choked out. "Don't say anythin'. I'll do my best to salvage this, alright?" 

You nodded dumbly, setting the knife back down on the ground and instead grabbing the small squeeze bottle of fazer. If worse came to worst, you at least knew you could use the fazer as a distraction.

Ezra launched into a string of profanities under his breath, each one more creative than the last. The man was clearly furious with himself for losing his grip on his temper, but you could hardly blame him. Floater.

You heard the distant clatter of gear approaching, catching sight of Inumon and Jack storming past the campfire. Your heart leaped into your throat as the mercenaries clustered around the crater, throwers aimed at you and Ezra.

"Greedy fool!" Ezra announced, his smooth grin back on his face. "Couldn't help himself. Took a stumble gettin' a closer look." He gestured down at Mikken's remains. "Now, time presses! And I am going to need assistance if we are to-"

Whatever he would have said was drowned out by the deafening music and static from Inumon's jammer belt, the woman circling the pit as the sound overrode the transmission from Ezra's helmet com. Your ears rang at the sudden auditory assault, making you shake your head in a vain attempt to dislodge the noise.

Inumon knelt at the edge of the excavation, her eyes trailing down the length of Mikken's body. You clutched the bottle of fazer tightly and, as you heard the primer on her gun shriek to life, you yanked Ezra's arm and pitched the fazer into the nearest open mound. Ezra grabbed hold of you, pinning you to the side of the pit and shielding you with the bulk of his suit. 

The resulting chemical reaction rocked the ground and kicked up a massive cloud of dust. Ezra snatched Mikken's gun, cradling it in the crook of his bad arm and then grasping your hand to all but fling you in front of him. A thrower shot whizzed past your helmet and Ezra shouted, "go, go!" 

His heavy boots thundered on the ground behind you as the two of you fled into the surrounding woodland. The prospector jerked you down into a bush and you heard the thrower prime as he checked the ammunition. 

"Fuck, how fortuitous." Ezra groaned, "best hope they come in singles." 

As if in response to his comment, that merc named Jack emerged from the dust cloud, yelling, "over here!" when he caught sight of your headlamps. His shot went wide, but Ezra's didn't. 

The older man jettisoned the empty thrower as Inumon came careening forward over Jack's body, her shots not nearly as haphazard as Jack's. Half-blind, you and Ezra ran through the woods while she pursued. 

You finally skidded to a stop behind a large tree, gasping for breath and turning off your headlamp. Ezra began fumbling, like he was looking for something. You heard the whining buzz of the scalpel.

He suddenly said, "If we uncouple, you can run a distraction, opening me up for the backstab." You nodded quickly, already trying to undo the tube. Ezra grabbed your hand, halting you. "Are you sure?" He rasped, the concern in his tone causing your eyes to tear up momentarily. "I know that you are-"

The jamming signal blared through your coms again, making Ezra flinch and stiffen in pain at the ear-shattering volume. You, on the other hand, ripped yourself free and slammed your fingers down on your comm-box, killing the radio in your helmet. You then reached over and muted his channels as well, effectively nullifying the blaring jamming. Ezra seemed to stagger at the silence, grabbing onto the tree to steady himself before he turned back to you.

"I can do it!" You assured him, yelling so he could hear you through your helmet. Without the aid of your com, you had to resort to analog measures. "I can do it."

He looked torn for a moment, then leaned down to shove his helmet against yours. "You run fast, and you don't stop. You keep plenty of trees between you and her. You come straight back here as soon as I make the kill, so we can recouple. Clear?" He demanded, his own voice raised. His eyes met yours fiercely and you nodded, letting him know that you got the message. You switched your filter over into his purifier hurriedly before he could protest or stop you, and then you uncoupled from the tether.

You sprinted off, keeping low as you watched Inumon's headlamps advance through the trees. A shot rang out, but she wasn't aiming at you. It sounded like she was headed for Ezra. 

No time like the present, you decided, and you quickly threw your head forward to locate the lone piece of Brism. A few shakes later and the gum tumbled against your clear dome for you to scoop up with your tongue. The second the smooth coating hit your mouth it was like something exploded behind your eyes. Chewing furiously, you felt energy surge through your body. Despite your weariness, your dwindling oxygen and your fear, the woods around you flared to new and vibrant life. And through it all strode Inumon, her attention focused wholly on where she thought Ezra was.

You bolted forward, keeping the trees between yourself and her for as long as possible, letting her get as close to Ezra as you dared before you finally lunged at her. The clumsy scuffle of your boots in the thick underbrush obviously alerted the woman to your presence, too late to change course now though. Her body swung around to face you as you charged in.

You hadn't realized she had a bayonet on her thrower. The deadly blade pierced your stomach, your own headlong motion aiding the plunge. The Brism cranked the pain bright, sensations dulled and heightened at the same time. You shakily dropped your hands to the barrel of the rifle, about to try and push yourself backwards off the bayonet, but then…

Inumon started cackling at you, more Vayok words you didn't understand laced in with her scornful laughter. It was plain to see that she was mocking you though, mocking your pitiful attempt at stopping her. She probably thought you were useless, a useless little floater--

You're a floater, who the fuck would even care?

The fledgling pride in your timid belly roared to life like a bonfire at her taunting and you leaned into it with every ounce of the Brism burst, slamming your helmet against hers with enough force to stagger the both of you. You didn't recognize your own voice when you screamed, "don't you fucking laugh at me, bitch!" Blood and saliva spattered on the inside of your dome and you gritted your teeth, continuing to bear down on her head with your helmet. 

Her eyes went wide like you had startled her, and she began fighting to free up her thrower from your abdomen. You snapped one arm beneath the barrel, the other above it like you had done a hundred times before to get the rifle away from Damon and you managed to jerk it out of her grip with the superior leverage of the bayonet, staggering back a step.

Ezra loomed out of the darkness behind Inumon as the two of you struggled, the man brandishing the laughably-small scalpel with deadly intent. The blade stabbed into the gasket on Inumon's helmet, whirring wildly through the rubber gorget and then piercing the skin beneath it. 

Her maniac gaze landed on your face inches from her own and she shrieked, clawing frantically at your suit and then at Ezra as he punched the knife home again and again.

You took another step back, sinking to your knees as you tried to maintain your hold on the gun so it didn't end up doing even more damage...

The next thing you knew, you were being eased back against a tree trunk. Ezra was fumbling with your suit, trying to retether the two of you and working around the thrower. 

You pawed weakly at his arm and he jolted, staring wide-eyed through his helmet. "Go." You rasped, shoving the tube back into his violently-trembling hands. "Go…" His jaw worked and he turned his head away, seemingly to look at Inumon's body. Then back at you. "Leave, dammit!" You spat, slamming your fist into his good arm. "Don't let--all of this be f-for nothing!"

That appeared to do the trick. Ezra staggered to his feet, grabbed his confiscated pistol from Inumon's corpse and took off towards the fire of the dig site without so much as a goodbye. 

Tears welled up in your eyes and your vision blurred, your body working harder and harder to pull what little oxygen it could from the air left circulating in your suit. Now that the Brism burst had faded you could feel every inch of the bayonet, and each quivering, shallow breath served as a painful reminder that you hadn't died just yet. Inumon's headlamps were all but blinding, exploding starry across your eyesight every time you blinked back the tears.

You had always assumed, somewhere, deep down, that you would die alone. Being a floater, you had been alone for the majority of your life, and after enduring Damon's noisome company, you had hoped to be solitary for the rest of your days. As you watched Ezra's form dissolve into the haze of your tears, however, you couldn't help but wish that, just this once, you didn't have to be alone.

Part Five

[celery505]

Ive been drawing again so I did Rimmer being upset

[transferengi]

Red Dwarf 30-Day Challenge

Day 12 - Favorite Series 2 episode

I’m a day behind, mainly because this one was too hard to decide. As you know, season 2 is my favorite, because of the sheer number of amazing episodes it has. 

Better than Life, Thanks for the Memory, and Parallel Universe are my top three, and I love them all for different reasons. 

In third place, we have Parallel Universe. It has tongue tied, which is my fav prt of the whole show. It has the lesbians, who I adore. And it has mpreg which is... just funny when you’re introducing the show to someone for the first time. The thing is, I really really hate genderbends as generally I find them transphobic and pretty offensive. But I love Deb and Arlene SO much and I think it was done fairly tastefully, so I let it slide. I also hate mpreg generally, because that’s also usually transphobic. But in this case I kinda think it’s great and I use it as an excuse for trans Lister which is just really really important to me. (They’re ll trans tho who am I kidding?)

In second place, we have Better Than Life. It’s such a great concept, there’s some excellent Rimmer/Lister moments (when Rimmer gets up in Lister’s face and says ‘help’, the whole thing in the Observation Dome re: his father, and the obvious comphet we see in his ‘ideal fantasy life’ with McGruder making him utterly miserable). All in all, it’s a wonderful and funny episode.

And in first place, we have Thanks for the Memory. It’s honestly just a perfect episode. The way Rimmer and Lister bond, the fried egg chili chutney sandwich, Rimmer’s drunken confessions, “Someone To Watch Over Me”, Lister giving some something deeply personal as a present because he genuinely felt bad for him and cared, again, THE OBSERVATION DOME and the MUSIC good grief. It’s utterly perfect. I’ll also just, plug my fic where I rewrote this ep to be about Lister giving him the memory of an old boyfriend instead.

But TL;DR, Thanks for the Memory wins but it was a HARD decision.

[rimmers-swimming-certificate]

The Red Dwarf 30-Day Challenge!

Day 12 - Favourite Series 2 episode

Thanks for the Memory

This one is very close to being my all time favourite, if only it wasn’t for all those pesky series five episodes and their extreme awesomeness. It’s definitely my favourite of the early seasons and makes my top 5 for sure.

Unfortunately, I’m tired and headachey today so I don’t have the energy to ramble on about why I love this episode so much, so let’s do it quickly...

drunk!Rimmer, triple fried egg sandwich with chilli sauce and chutney, Lister giving Rimmer his memories was sweet even if it did all go wrong, Rimmer being happy even if it was brief, Rimmer trying to insert his fist into his mouth, Lister in advance knowing that he would do that, observation dome scene!, Rimmer’s whole ‘interpreting the alien’s speech’ thing, “And the jigsaw must mean you”, Lister showing that he cares about Rimmer, the way the whole thing made sense in the end, everything about this episode is amazing.

And that is all.

[ncthingstars]

@guttersniper​ / this is for you, enjoy :)))))

         they hadn’t meant for it to happen.

“i said he shouldn’t have gone,” the cat says bitterly. 

lister shoots him a look, bewildered and slightly peeved. “no you didn’t.”

“with all due respect, sir, mr. lister is correct.” kryten looks about as glum as his silicon face allows. “you said none of us should have gone. you didn’t want to scavenge that gelf ship at all. in fact, i distinctly remember you saying something about only being halfway done blowdrying your hair.” his voice turns haughty. “i on the other hand said that it would be irresponsible for him to go with us.”

cat hisses --- actually hisses! --- at them both and turns away, turning up his nose and folding his arms. kryten and lister exchange a glance, and then lister pops open his fifth lager in the last hour.

“well congrats, you two, you had the right smeggin’ idea then.” he guzzles half the can down in one go. “meanwhile, the whole thing was my idea. i was the one who said we should go. who said it would be fine, no big deal. i should’ve known better! should’ve expected this.” he hurls the now-empty can across the room and it bounces off the wall and lands in a pile with the others. “glad you two can absolve yourselves.” kryten makes a face like he’s going to interject, but ultimately falls quiet as lister keeps talking. “i mean, we’re all adults here. we do dangerous stuff all the time, but we know the risks. we can make our own decisions. but he’s just a kid. was just a kid!” he slams his hand down on the table so hard kryten and cat both jump. “smeg!” 

kryten pauses, waiting to make absolutely sure lister’s done before he says, “sir, i think you, and i, and all of know that mutt always made his own decisions no matter what. being an adult has nothing to do with it. he wanted to go. none of us could’ve stopped him.”

lister slumps in his chair. “but we could’ve protected him. i mean. we’re his family. that’s what we do.”

“i don’t think any of us could’ve stopped it,” cat says bluntly. “it came out of nowhere. seriously, what crazy scientist said ‘we should definitely teach our genetically-engineered-life-forms to use fireams’???? i don’t get it.”

“yeah, well.” lister looks like he’s trying to disappear into the ground. “we still should’ve tried.”

they lapse into solemn silence, no one really knowing what to say to that. saying we did try just feels like a cop-out, and quite frankly, a lie.

finally though, cat says, “i’m gonna miss the little guy,” and they all nod.

kryten turns to rimmer, who has been uncharacteristically quiet --- sitting at the table with them, but facing away, hands folded neatly in his lap. if kryten didn’t know better, he’d say he was meditating. “mr. rimmer, sir?” he asks. “are you alright? is there anything you’d like to say?”

no response.

“rimmer?” lister prompts, more gently. “you in there?”

rimmer turns slightly in his chair. his face is red, eyes blotchy. lister decides to not comment on that. 

“it was me,” he says, almost too quiet to hear. the others turn to him, expressions inquisitive. “it was me,” rimmer repeats, louder. “kryten said someone should stay behind on red dwarf, and i insisted it be me. it’s my fault he went and got himself shot.”

lister’s first instinct is to say something along the lines of, yeah, you smegged up real bad, rimmer, you selfish cowardly git. but he suspects rimmer is already thinking it. and frankly, they all share the blame. he knows that, even if it’s easier to try and take it all on his own shoulders. so instead, he goes, as if to pat rimmer’s arm --- and then stops, realizing he still can’t touch him. “rimmer, i can’t believe i’m saying this, but it’s really not your fault. you staying doesn’t mean he couldn’t. he didn’t want to. he wanted to come with us.”

"maybe i could’ve.... i don’t know. done something to protect him. wrestled the gun from that slimy gelf’s hands. knocked it out with its own weapon.” 

“rimmer man, no offense, but you never would’ve done that.” lister has to laugh, even if it’s not really funny, at the image of rimmer actually taking on a gelf head-on alone. “besides, you’re a hologram, you wouldn’t have be able to do any of that stuff anyway.”

“so you’re saying i’m useless.” rimmer deflates. “helpless to even save the lives of my own crew.” 

oh.

lister’s eyes widen, almost comically in sync with rimmer’s, as they both realize. 

“rimmer, listen ---” but the hologram is already rising from his chair, rushing out of the room. “smeg! rimmer ---” lister puts his head in his hands for a moment, then sighs and stands up. “guys, i’m gonna go find him, before he does something stupid.”

“but he’s always doing something stupid!” cat says.

“not helping.” cat scowls, and lister rushes out to try and catch up with rimmer.

he’s out of breath by the time he reaches the observation dome, but luckily rimmer is there, just as he suspected. he’s staring out at the starry sky, and doesn’t even turn around as lister comes up behind him. “he and i came up here a lot together,” rimmer says, and lister’s frankly surprised by how upset rimmer seems to be. maybe he actually is taking mutt’s death as hard as the rest of them. “for different reasons, obviously, but we’d both end up standing right here. it was.... i don’t know. it was the one time i ever actually felt like someone here understood me. like i could connect with someone actually living and breathing, on a personal level. we didn’t even talk most of the time.” he finally looks at lister, and this time there’s no hiding the fact that he’s been crying. well shit. even lister hasn’t found it in himself to cry yet. rimmer draws in a shaky breath. “do you think i’m a bad person?”

for a moment, lister is dumbfounded. he has no idea what to say to that. “i...” yeah. i do. and you know it. “what’s this about, rimmer, really?” he asks instead. “why the sudden ethical crisis?”

rimmer looks straight ahead again, staring at nothing as he tries to pull himself together. “as you may recall, listy, three million years ago i was responsible for the deaths of the entire crew of red dwarf.”

“yeah, i think i remember that, vaguely,” lister shoots back, unable to resist snarking at him. rimmer wrinkles his nose but otherwise ignores him.

“i was unable to do one simple task, which resulted in over one thousand lives being lost. but, i figured, i would never let it happen again. after all, it’s just the five of us. surely, i can handle that. but i couldn’t. i couldn’t even save one scrawny runt of a kid.” there’s a haunted look on his face, as if he’s thinking about some other scrawny kid from years ago. “he deserved better than that. than me.”

lister sighs, leaning his elbows on the railing. “yeah, he did,” lister agrees. “he did deserve better than you, than any of us. but that’s just how it goes. we’re who he got. and i think he was pretty smeggin’ happy with it. and he likes you, rimmer, he did. which is a miracle considering how annoying you are. and i know it’s hard, i know we’re all upset --- even the cat. but you gave him a family. doesn’t that count for something?”

rimmer is quiet as he mulls that over. “that’s more than some people get,” he says finally.

“yeah,” lister agrees, and though he knows he can’t actually touch him, he leans over against his shoulder. “it is.”